They joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the renamed Rochester Royals,[1] winning that league's championship in their first season, 1945–46. During the 2010–11 season, the Kings honored the 1950–51 Rochester Royals championship team by wearing throwback uniforms from that era. They were led by a 30-point, 14 rebound performance from DeMarcus Cousins, and a putback dunk by Jason Thompson with under a minute to play which sealed the victory for the Kings. They finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 44–38 record and were matched up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. [63] Greek center Papagiannis, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, averaged only 2.1 points in the 16 games played. However, in the playoffs the Kings would fall to the Chicago Bulls in six games. 1983/84: Prior to the season the Kings are sold to a group of inventors from Sacramento, California for $10.5 million dollars. Bibby had been last player from the Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2002. This made the Kings the first team in the state in four years. While the sponsored Seagrams balked at additional expenses involved, Harrison and his lawyer brother Jack jumped at the chance. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60% of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1–40 on the road in a single season. [51] On May 9, 2016, the Kings hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger as head coach. Red accents were added later in their Rochester tenure. The then-Cincinnati Royals had been looking at Omaha as a market as early as 1968, playing 12 "home games" in the Nebraska city from 1968-71. The 1973 feature film Maurie, which co-starred actors Bernie Casey and Bo Svenson, dramatized their story. [10] Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964, led the league in shooting, and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over four seasons. From 1963 to 1966, the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers, but won no titles. However, blue names and numbers at home, and white names and numbers on the road were written at the back of the uniform, with the unusual arrangement of the number above the name being used for the first time (normally, the player's name is shown above the back number). Without their two top scorers the Kings would fall to fourth place with a 30-52 record as they were never a factor in the playoff race. 2. The team moved to the larger Rochester War Memorial in 1955 in an attempt to improve fortunes with a much larger arena. The Kings improved by five games and finished the 2007–08 season 38–44, and missed the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). A month later, on July 30, Turner Construction was selected to be the builder of the arena. [68], Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Kings were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season.[69]. The series was lost 3–1 to the Seattle SuperSonics who, led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, finished as that year's conference champions. Corliss Williamson, Brendan Malone, Chris Jent, and Dee Brown were brought in as assistant coaches. On Jan. 21, 1985, the then-Kansas City Kings filed paperwork with the NBA to start the process of a move to Sacramento, capital city of the Golden State. In 1971, the team adopted a red crown with a blue half-basketball below it. A Kansas City-based NBA team cannot succeed if they cannot put people in seats, and in order for them to do so, they will need to have a decent stadium and a team that can win in the playoffs. Despite having the best odds to win the top overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Kings obtained the 4th overall pick, the lowest they could possibly pick, to the outrage of many fans. This brought a new rival for the Royals, as well as a new team in Ohio. Around this time, the team took the slogan "Here we rise!" The team finished the 2017–18 season with a 27–55 record, placing 12th in the Western Conference. Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers. During the 1990s, Sacramento had other stars like Spud Webb, Kurt Rambis, Wayman Tisdale, Walt Williams, Olden Polynice and Brian Grant, but they only lasted with the team for a few years. [58] They also selected North Carolina forward Justin Jackson with the 15th pick, Duke center Harry Giles with the 20th pick,[59]and Kansas point guard Frank Mason III with the 34th pick. [78] The same uniform design was carried over for the 2019–20 season, but with red as the base color and powder blue as the trim color. Following their move from Kansas City in 1985 the Kings still used the same color scheme of red, white and blue. [37] Plans were already underway to move forward on an arena, as the Downtown Plaza was reportedly being sold to the Sacramento ownership group. Jimmy Walker teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year. Amidst various relocation rumors and locker room tensions, the Kings had yet another unsuccessful season. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the Lakers, which prompted the Kings to sign Brad Miller to start at center. The following season, they wore the mid-1970s Kansas City Kings white uniform for select games to honor Nate Archibald. I basically just watch players since I don't have a team. It was announced in February that the Kings had traded Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a 2nd round draft pick. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. So, Harrison was able to scoop up several name stars for his new team, among them Bob Davies, Red Holzman and William "Fuzzy" Levane, as well as NBL free agents like George Glamack and Al Cervi. The 2006 off-season began with the disturbing news that head coach Rick Adelman's contract would not be renewed. All of the Kings retired numbers are hanging in the rafters of the Golden 1 Center. Stojakovic moved into the starting small forward role, where he and Webber proved to complement each other extremely well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story entitled "The Greatest Show on Court" with Williams, Christie, Stojakovic, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. However, this was the team’s best regular season record since their last playoff appearance in the 2005–06 season. The former NBA Rookie of the Year was selected as an All-Star six times while making the All-NBA Second Team three times. The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. Their final season, 1984–85, resulted in a 31–51 record as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves, with average attendance of 6,410. Once again, however, the Kings failed to advance, losing the series 2–3 against the Lakers. Despite Williams's often spectacular play, the Kings had grown tired of his recklessness and turnovers; Bibby would provide much more stability and control at the point guard position. Stokes, a tremendous talent who could play center, forward and guard, was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists, a double-feat only Wilt Chamberlain has matched for a full season. In 2008, the team introduced a new style of uniforms, with the names switching designations with a modernized "Kings" script on the road jersey in black text, and "Sacramento" on the home jersey still in white text. for its marketing campaign. 11) without its own … The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento, California in the 1985–86 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs. Head coach Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, Reggie Theus. The Kings hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. In the 1964 NBA draft the Royals drafted rookies George Wilson, Bill Chmielewski, Steve Courtin (later traded to 76ers), and Happy Hairston. After Game One in the playoffs three days later, Stokes' head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two. Why Austin? [43] Sacramento added Darren Collison, Ryan Hollins and Ramon Sessions through free agency signings, as well as drafting Nik Stauskas prior to the start of the 2014–15 season. Stojakovic was traded for Ron Artest, a talented yet volatile forward known for his temper. Read the latest National Basketball Association basketball news and headlines for your favorite national teams. On January 30, 2015, DeMarcus Cousins was named to replace the injured Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. On July 10, 2017, the team signed three veterans – Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, and George Hill.[60][61]. The black alternate uniform was kept without any alterations. 1977/78: The Kings late season collapse would carry over into the next season as they got off to a 13-24 start when Coach Phil Johnson is fired. [77], For the 2018–19 season, the Kings tweaked the 'City' uniforms, replacing the lion head logo with the wordmark "Sactown". The Kings kept their uniforms mostly intact, but the erstwhile primary purple uniforms were retired in favor of the 'City' alternate purple uniforms. The Kings are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento. The Kings drafted Jason Williams in the 1998 NBA draft, signed Vlade Divac, and traded for Chris Webber prior to the lockout-shortened season of 1998–99. Led by new head coach Rick Adelman, and aided by former Princeton head coach Pete Carril, the Kings' Princeton offense impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. The franchise began with the Rochester Seagrams (a semi-professional team) from Rochester, New York, that formed in 1923 and hosted a number of teams there over the next 20 years. Player Pos HT WT Draft Yr NBA Team GP PPG RPG APG; Udoka Azubuike: C: … Nearly two weeks later, on December 8, they acquired Rudy Gay in a blockbuster seven-player deal that sent the struggling Patterson and Salmons to Toronto along with Chuck Hayes and off-season acquisition Greivis Vásquez. By December 30, the team held a 19–16 record. This move followed a well-received regular season game played at Cincinnati Gardens on February 1, 1957. They later jumped with three other NBL teams to the Basketball Association of America, forerunner of the NBA, in 1948. The logo change also reflected on the uniforms, now featuring a script 'Royals' in front with red numbers. The team plays its home games at the Golden 1 Center. 1982/83: With the emergence of Larry Drew as a 20-point scorer and a productive season from second-year sharpshooter Eddie Johnson the Kings were able to bounce back dueling with the Denver Nuggets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Now dubbed the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, the team split its home games between the 7,316-seat Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City and the 9,300-seat Omaha Civic Auditorium. However, the uniform was revived for the 2012–13 season during Hardwood Classics Nights. They claimed fourth-year Beno Udrih off waivers from Minnesota. The player names were now in a standard monotone serif font which was used by several NBA teams. There isn't another NBA team within 350 miles of Kansas City. The team was moderately successful, boasting Tiny Archibald as its leading man. The declining franchise left Cincinnati shortly thereafter, moving to Kansas City in 1972. The black 'Global' uniforms substitute the crown for a standing lion crest on top, along with a solid gray side stripe on the right and the primary logo on the left leg. While the team kept the 2008-era template, they brought back the 1994–2002 "Kings" script from the primary logo on both uniforms, along with purple (home) and white (away) numbers. Upon moving to Cincinnati in 1957, the team logo became a basketball with a cartoon face. Kentucky has two of the best college basketball schools … The city of Kansas, Missouri has remained dormant for way too long, it’s time that they got their shine in the NBA. After the 1992–93 season, Rambis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. On September 23, 2013, Shaquille O'Neal purchased a minority share of the team, jokingly dubbing the team's new organization the "Shaqramento Kings".[42]. In 1972 the team relocated again, this time to Kansas City, Missouri, and was renamed the Kansas City-Omaha Kings because it initially split its home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska. Click here for Chriscreamer.com's Kansas City Kings Page, Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties, Commissioners of the National Football League. The so-called 'City' uniforms are similar to the away uniforms, except that the abbreviation "SAC" in gray appears in front. In 1999–2000, the Kings' only notable transaction was trading shooting guard Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Orlando Magic in exchange for shooting guard Nick Anderson. Axelson stayed on after the Kings left Kansas City where, in their last game ever, fans wore Joe Axelson masks. Much of this was due to the poor fit of the roster around Evans and Cousins, and the uninspired coaching of Westphal. Raising funds for Stokes' medical treatment, Twyman helped him until his death in April 1970. The Royals' home games were at Xavier University's Schmidt Field House. However, Chris Webber sustained a major knee injury in Game 2, and the Kings lost in a seven-game series. [8] Robertson led a team that included Twyman, Wayne Embry, Bob Boozer, Bucky Bockhorn, Tom Hawkins and Adrian Smith over the next three seasons. Geoff Petrie[38] and Keith Smart[39] were released; Mike Malone[40] and Pete D'Alessandro[41] were brought in to replace them. The side panels were revamped, now only featured on the shorts and at the top half of the uniform. Webber's knee required major surgery. Though not as exciting or flashy as they had been in previous years with Williams, the team became much more effective and disciplined with Bibby at the helm. The 2005 off-season continued with changes, when they traded fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells and acquired free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim. After moving to Kansas City, the Royals renamed themselves the Kings to avoid confusion with the Royals baseball team. In the late 1960s the Royals wore a uniform with the team name written vertically on the left side, with the number on the right. The NBA hasn’t had a presence in Kansas City since the mid-1980s with the Kansas City Kings. However, despite fan loyalty the Kings saw little success in subsequent seasons, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs in the 1995–96 NBA season. 14. In 1998, Wild was chosen from a field of six finalists, which also included … The result was a strong league champion in their first season of existence as the Royals during the 1945–46 season. Kansas City is one of the most underrated sports cities in this country. The NBA just was not all that popular while the team was in KC. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. Close. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie, who has won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice. Despite doubts that he would be able to replace the huge production of Stojakovic, Artest and the Kings went 20–9 after the 2006 NBA All-Star break, the second best post-All-Star break record that season. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. Because of an unproductive rookie season by Robinson, he was traded with Francisco García and Tyler Honeycutt to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Patterson, Toney Douglas and Cole Aldrich.[30]. The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. Long-time ABA and NBA star, Don Buse, played his final professional season for the Kings. The Kings made the playoffs in 1979–80 and again in 1980–81, despite finishing the 1980–81 regular season at 40–42. Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level over the next two seasons for Cincinnati, even as the team posted two 19-win seasons. 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